Orders in the Orthodox Church in ascending order: their hierarchy. Vestments of the priest General information about church etiquette

EVERYDAY GARMENTS

Everyday robes, which distinguish the servants of the Church from lay people and testify to their rank and rank, once originated from the robes used in the world, and quickly, already in ancient times, acquired special features, so that the clergy and monasticism began to stand out outwardly from the secular environment. This deeply corresponded to the concept of the Church as a kingdom not of this world, which, although it goes through its journey and ministry in the world, is nevertheless profoundly different from it in its nature. In the minds of the ancients, the sacred dignity or monastic rank obliged the bearers of such to be always and everywhere what they are before God and the Church.

The main everyday attire of the clergy and monasticism of all degrees are cassock and cassock.

It is a long, to the toe, robe with narrow sleeves with a tightly buttoned collar. A cassock is an undergarment. For monastics, it should be black. The color of the white clergy cassocks is black, navy blue, brown, gray and white for summer. Material: cloth, wool, satin, linen, flax, less often silk fabrics.

- outer garment with long, below the palms, wide sleeves. The cassocks are predominantly black, but can be dark blue, brown, white, less often cream and gray color. The materials for the cassocks are the same as for the cassocks. Both cassocks and cassocks can be lined.

For everyday life, there are cassocks, which are demi-season and winter coats. These are cassocks of the first kind, with a turn-down collar trimmed with black velvet or fur. Winter cassocks-coats are made on a warm lining.

All divine services, except for the Liturgy, are performed by the priest in a cassock and cassock, over which special liturgical robes are put on ( vestments). When serving the Liturgy, as well as in special cases when, according to the Rule, the priest must be in full liturgical vestments, the cassock is removed and a cassock and other vestments are put on over the cassock. The deacon serves in a cassock, over which he wears surplice.

The bishop performs all divine services in a cassock, on which special hierarchal robes are put on. The only exceptions are some prayer services, litias, cell and other clergy services of the bishop, when he can serve in a cassock or a cassock and a mantle, over which an epitrachelion is put on.

Thus, everyday robes of the clergy are an obligatory basis for liturgical vestments.

Long-sleeved clothing with narrow sleeves was widespread throughout the world among Eastern and Western peoples. Loose long clothes with wide sleeves are of oriental origin. It was also widespread in the Jewish environment during the earthly life of the Savior, Who Himself wore such clothes, as evidenced by tradition and iconography. Therefore, the cassock and cassock are considered the garment of the Lord Jesus Christ. The antiquity of this type of clothing is indirectly confirmed by the fact that even today many Eastern peoples use a wide long slit and unslit front robe with wide long sleeves, very similar to a cassock, as traditional national clothing. The word "cassock" comes from the Greek adjective "to ráson", which means - scraped, worn, devoid of lint, worn. It was precisely such almost beggarly clothes that monastics were supposed to wear in the Ancient Church. From the monastic environment, the cassock came into use for all the clergy, which is confirmed by many testimonies.

In the Russian Church until the 17th century, cassocks were not required. In everyday situations, the clergy wore long single-rows of a special cut made of cloth and velvet of green, purple and crimson colors. The gates were also trimmed with velvet or fur. The uniforms of secular persons differed in many respects from the robes of the clergy, so that the clergy in Russia from ancient times stood out for their appearance from the worldly environment. Even the wives of the white clergy necessarily wore such clothes in which one could immediately recognize their mothers in them. Expanding ties with the Orthodox East in the second half of the 17th century contributed to the penetration of the robes of the Greek clergy into the Russian church environment. The Great Moscow Cathedral of 1666-1667 decided to bless for Russian clergymen and monks the spiritual robes adopted at that time in the Orthodox East. At the same time, a reservation was made that the Council does not force, but only blesses the wearing of such robes and strictly forbids condemning those who do not dare to wear them. So the first Greek cassock appeared in Russia. But a loose straight cassock, convenient for countries with a hot climate, seemed apparently unacceptable in our country also due to the fact that external conditions created the habit of wearing clothes that fit tightly to the body, moreover, spacious clothes with a slit in the middle, in front, were worn in that time the Turks. Therefore, Russian cassocks began to be wrapped up and sewn in at the waist, the sleeve was made from a straight line in the form of a bell. At the same time, two cuts of cassocks arose - Kyiv and Moscow. The "Kyiv" cassock is slightly sutured at the waist from the sides, and leaves the back straight, while the "Moscow" cassock is significantly sutured at the waist, so that it fits to the body both from the sides and from the back.

Since the 18th century, the secular clothes of the upper classes have taken on a look completely different from traditional Russian clothes. Gradually, all classes of society began to wear short clothes, often European type, so that the robes of the clergy turned out to be in a particularly sharp difference from the secular ones. At the same time, in the 18th century, the everyday clothes of the clergy acquired greater uniformity and stability of cut and color. The monastics began to wear mostly only black cassocks and cassocks of the first type, while in ancient times they often wore green uniforms, and the white clergy narrowed color scheme their clothes.

The general symbolic meaning of the cassock and cassock is evidence of detachment from worldly fuss, a symbol of spiritual peace. Peace and tranquility of the heart in its constant spiritual abiding with God is the highest goal of the efforts of any believer. But especially the clergy and monastics, as those who have devoted their entire lives to serving God, should have as a result of their spiritual activity this inner renunciation of worldly care and fuss, peace and tranquility of the heart. The outer attire of the clergy corresponds to this state, reminds of it, calls to it, helps to achieve it: being the image of the upper garment that the Lord Jesus Christ wore during earthly life, the cassock and cassock mean that the clergy and monastics imitate Jesus Christ, as He and commanded his disciples. The long robe of the clergy is a sign of God's grace, clothing His servants, covering their human infirmities; the cloth or woolen cassock of the monks, girded with a leather belt, is an image of the sackcloth and leather belt, which the preacher of repentance John the Baptist wore in the desert (Matt. 3, 4). The black color of the cassocks and cassocks is especially noteworthy: black is, in essence, the absence of color, something that lies outside the light spectrum. When applied to the attire of the clergy and monastics, this means the color of perfect peace as the absence of movements of passion, as it were, spiritual death for sin and renunciation of everything vain, from external, carnal life and focus on invisible life, internal. The daily attire of the clergy is also important for the surrounding believers, as evidence of the spiritual state to which all who seek salvation in God should strive.

The special detachment of monks from the world is indicated by mantle, or paly, - a long, sleeveless, cape with a clasp only on the collar, descending to the ground and covering the cassock and cassock. In early Christian times, this was the clothing of all Christians who converted to the faith from paganism and renounced those titles and ranks that they had in a pagan environment. Such a long cape made of the simplest matter meant renunciation of idol service and humility. Subsequently, it became the property of some monastics. According to the interpretation of St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, a loose, unbelted mantle is a sign of angelic wings, which is why it is called the “angelic image”. The mantle is only a monastic garment. In ancient times in Russia, the monks wore a mantle always and everywhere and did not have the right to leave their cells without it. For entering the city without a mantle, the monks were punished in the 17th century by exile in remote monasteries under strong supervision. Such severity was due to the fact that at that time the monks did not yet have cassocks as mandatory outerwear. They wore single rows with narrow sleeves, so that the mantle was the only outer garment. The monks' robes, like their cassocks and cassocks, are always black.

Clergy and monastics in everyday use have special headdresses. White clergy may wear skufii. In ancient times, skufiya was a small round cap, similar to a bowl without a stand. Such a hat from ancient times in Western Church and in Russia the part of the head shaved at the top was covered with the clergy. After being ordained to the priesthood, the proteges immediately shaved their hair on their heads in the form of a circle, which in Russia received the name gumentsó, which meant the sign of the crown of thorns. The shaved part was covered with a small hat, which received the Slavic name also gumenzo, or the Greek - skufiya.

In ancient times, priests and deacons constantly wore a skufi, even at home, taking it off only during worship and before going to bed.

By decree of Emperor Paul I of December 18, 1797, purple skufis and kamilavkas were introduced into church use as awards for white clergy. In the award skufi, the priest can also stay in the church, perform divine services, removing it in the cases provided for by the Charter. Priests can wear such a skufia on a daily basis.

The everyday headdress of bishops and monks, in which they can also perform some divine services, is also cowl. This is a headdress consisting of a kamilavka and a cuckoo. Klobuk has been known in the Slavic environment since ancient times. Initially, it was a princely headdress, which was a cap trimmed with fur, with a small veil sewn to it, descending on the shoulders. Such caps with bedspreads were also used by other noble people in Russia, men and women. On ancient icons, Saints Boris and Gleb are often depicted wearing hoods. About hoods, as a princely headdress, there are references in the annals. When the hood became the headdress of Russian monks is unknown. In the church environment, he appeared a very long time ago and looked like a deep soft cap made of simple matter with a fur band. The etymology of the verb "to put on" (to put on, put on a headdress low on the forehead, on the ears) goes back to the root klobuk. The cap was covered with a black veil that fell over the shoulders. Such hoods were worn in Russia by both monks and bishops, only among bishops were hoods made of expensive materials and sometimes decorated with precious stones. In the Orthodox East, monastic headdresses had a different look. There, only a veil worn over a hat was considered to be a monastic cukul. The lower part of that coverlet, descending on the back, began to be divided into three ends.

Some Russian saints of antiquity wore white klobuks. Iconography depicts the holy metropolitans Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Philip in such hoods. With the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia in 1589, Russian Patriarchs began to wear white klobuks. At the Council of 1666-1667, all metropolitans were given the right to wear white klobuks. But at the same time, the hoods of the metropolitans did not differ in shape from the monastic hoods of the new (Greek) model (with a solid cylindrical kamilavka), only their “basting” (kokol) became white. And the hoods of the Patriarchs retained the ancient form of a spherical cap, covered with white kukul, the ends of which also differed from the ends of the monastic basting. The three ends of the patriarchal hood begin almost from the cap, two of them descend from the front to the chest, the third to the back. At the top of the patriarchal hood (on the Makovets) a cross began to be supplied, the frontal side of the hood was decorated with icons, and cherubim or seraphim were depicted at the ends of the cukul with gold embroidery.

At present, the hood of the Moscow Patriarch on the frontal side and at the ends of the cockle has images of six-winged Seraphim, in all other respects it is similar to the hoods of the ancient Russian Patriarchs. The white color of the metropolitan and patriarchal hoods means a special purity of thoughts and enlightenment by Divine light, which corresponds to the highest degrees of the church hierarchy, which are called upon to reflect the highest degrees of the spiritual state. In this regard, the hood of the Patriarch with the images of Seraphim indicates that the Patriarch, as the primate of the entire Russian Church and a prayer book for her, is likened to the highest angelic ranks closest to God. The shape of the patriarchal klobuk, resembling the dome of a temple with a cross on top, also fully corresponds to the position of the Patriarch as the head of the local Church.

From the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Church established the custom that still exists to this day to wear diamond crosses for archbishops on black, and for metropolitans on white klobuks. The cross on the headdress is not new. In the ancient Russian and especially Ukrainian church environment, even ordinary priests wore crosses on everyday hats. For priests, this custom ceased at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century. Subsequently, diamond crosses on hoods became the insignia of archbishops and metropolitans (bishops wear the usual black monastic hood without a cross). A diamond cross can mean high spiritual perfection and a special firmness of faith and teaching, corresponding to the highest degrees of the church hierarchy.

The modern monastic klobuk is a solid kamilavka in the form of a cylinder, slightly widened at the top, covered with black crepe, descending to the back and ending in the form of three long ends. This crepe is commonly called a basting (or cukul). In the rank of monastic vows under the name klobuk, of course, only crepe, a veil with which a kamilavka is covered. This veil is sometimes called a kukul, just like the veil worn during tonsure into the great schema. In this sense, the klobuk is called the "helmet of the hope of salvation", and the kukul of the great schema, according to the order of tonsure into the small and great schemas, means "the helmet of saving hope."

This symbolic meaning of monastic veils comes from the words of the Apostle Paul, who says: “But we, being sons of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:8), and in another place “Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod in readiness to preach the gospel of peace; above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:14-17). Thus, everyday spiritual, especially monastic, clothes signify those personal traits which any Christian who is called a soldier of Christ at Baptism should possess, since he will have to wage a relentless war against the invisible spiritual enemies of salvation.

Monastics of all degrees wear a rosary. This is a prayer object used for frequent reading of the Jesus Prayer. A modern rosary is a closed thread consisting of a hundred "grains" divided into dozens of intermediate "grains" larger than ordinary ones. Cell rosaries sometimes contain a thousand "seeds" with the same division. The rosary helps to count (hence their name) the number of prayers that a monk should include in the daily rule, without focusing on the count itself. The rosary has been known since ancient times. In Russia, in the old days they had the form of a closed ladder, consisting not of “grains”, but of wooden blocks sheathed in leather or fabric, and were called “ladder” or “lestovka” (ladder). Spiritually, they mean the ladder of salvation, the “spiritual sword”, they are an image of unceasing (eternal) prayer (a circular thread is a symbol of eternity).

Pectoral Cross

pectoral crosses for priests appeared in the Russian Orthodox Church relatively recently. Until the 18th century, only bishops had the right to wear pectoral crosses. The priest's cross testifies that he is a servant of Jesus Christ, who suffered for the sins of the world, must have Him in his heart and imitate Him. The two-pointed chain of the cross is a sign of the lost sheep, that is, pastoral care for the souls of the parishioners entrusted to the priest, and the cross that Christ carried on His back, as signs of exploits and suffering in earthly life. The cross and the chain are made silver-gilded.

At the beginning of the 19th century, priests began to be awarded crosses with decorations on special occasions. By decree of the Holy Synod of February 24, 1820, Russian priests serving abroad were blessed to wear special golden crosses there, issued from the emperor's office. Such crosses are called office crosses. Sometimes they were issued as a reward to some priests who did not leave Russia.

By a state decree of May 14, 1896, a cross was introduced into church use, which is the distinction of every priest and hieromonk. This cross, laid since then during priestly ordination, is silver, eight-pointed in shape with a relief image of the crucified Savior on the front side and inscriptions in the upper part: “Where, King, Glory” (“The Lord is the King of Glory”); at the ends of the wide crossbar "IC, XC" ("Jesus Christ"), under the lower oblique crossbar - "Nika" ( Greek- victory). On the reverse side of the cross there is an inscription: “Be the image of a faithful word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity (1 Tim. 4, 12). Summer 1896, May 14 days. The cross is equipped with a silver chain of single elongated rings. A jumper in the middle of this circuit is also divided into two parts. The crosses of 1896 have become an indispensable insignia of the priests, which they wear during worship over the robes and can be worn in everyday situations over the cassock, and the crosses of 1797 have remained awards, traditionally also granted to all graduates of theological academies who have the dignity of priests.

In addition, in the 19th century, archpriests began to be rewarded with crosses with decorations, similar to bishops' pectoral crosses.

Panagia Bishop's badge.

The first mention of a panagia as an obligatory accessory for a bishop, which is given to him at consecration after the Liturgy, is contained in the writings of Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica (15th century). The 17th-century writer Jacob Goar testifies that, after taking the omophorion, the bishops of the Greek Church received a precious cross with the relics of saints, called the encolpion, with the addition of the greeting with the word axios (worthy). The custom of placing an encolpion on a bishop at his consecration passed from the Orthodox East to the Russian Church. But in Russia panagiaras were already in wide use in the form of rectangular reliquaries with images of the Lord Christ, the Mother of God, and saints. Often one reliquary with relics had images of the Holy Trinity, Christ the Almighty, the Mother of God, and saints. There were gilded icons only with images of the Mother of God. Such icons were worn by bishops and archimandrites in the 16th century. Therefore, during the episcopal consecration in Russia since the 17th century, they began to lay a cross. Since it was customary for Russian bishops to wear an icon of the Mother of God or an encolpion with relics over their robes, the Moscow Cathedral of 1674 allowed Russian metropolitans to wear an “encolpion and a cross” over the sakkos, but only within their diocese. An exception was made for the Metropolitan of Novgorod, who had the right to wear a cross and an encolpion in the presence of the Patriarch.

Since the middle of the 17th century, the Russian Patriarchs, as well as the Metropolitans of Kyiv, as exarchs, have been wearing two panagias and a cross.

Over time, the relics of saints ceased to be an obligatory accessory of panagias. At present, the panagia is an image of the Mother of God, most often round or oval in shape, with various decorations, without relics. Bishops' crosses now also come without relics. Since 1742, archimandrites of some monasteries have been awarded panagias. In order to distinguish bishops from archimandrites, since the middle of the 17th century, bishops began to put on consecrations of two breastplates: a cross and a panagia. In everyday situations, bishops had to wear a panagia, and during worship, a panagia and a cross. This order continues to this day.

The episcopal cross and panagia are signs of the highest authority in the Church. These images spiritually mean the same thing as the altar Cross and the icon of the Mother of God, namely: the dispensation of the salvation of people in the Church is carried out by the grace-filled power of the feat of the Cross of the Son of God Jesus Christ and the intercession of the Mother of God as the Mother of the Church. The episcopal cross and panagia remind us that the bishop must constantly have in his heart the Lord and the Intercessor before Him - the Ever-Virgin Mary, that for this he must have a pure heart and a right spirit, and from an excess of heart purity and truth, his mouth must wear only one good. This is also noted in the prayers recited by the deacon when putting on the bishop the cross, and then the panagia. When putting the cross on the bishop, the deacon says: “But if anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself,” the Lord said, “and take up his cross and follow Me, always, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.” When putting on the first panagia, the deacon says: “God will create a pure heart in you, and renew the right spirit in your womb, always, now, and forever, and forever and ever.” When putting on the second panagia, he says: “May your heart burp the word of goodness, speak of your Tsar’s deeds, always, now, and forever, and forever and ever.”

The episcopal cross and panagia with the image of the Mother of God, which were fully defined in their main features two hundred years ago, appeared, it would seem, by chance, but their symbolism is deeply consistent with the most ancient ideas of the Church about the participation of the Mother of God in the salvation of the world. Only Christ and the Mother of God are addressed with the words "Save us." The rest of the saints are asked: "Pray to God for us."

The bishop's cross and panagia are worn on chains, which are separated by a jumper, so that the front half of the chain, embracing the neck, descends to the chest and converges on the upper part of the cross or panagia, and the back part descends to the back. It is impossible not to see in this a repetition of the symbolism of the bishop's omophorion, which also has front and rear ends, signifying the lost sheep, which the good shepherd took for ramen, and the cross that the Lord Christ carried to Golgotha. In the consciousness of the Church, the lost sheep is an image of the nature of fallen humanity, which the Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself, incarnated in this nature and raised him to Heaven, reckoning him among the unforgotten - among the Angels. This is how Saint Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (VIII century), interprets the meaning of the omophorion, and Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, adds that the crosses on the omophorion are depicted for the sake of “as Christ, on His shoulders, bore His cross; thus, those who want to live in Christ on the shoulder accept their cross, that is, suffering. For the cross is a sign of malice." Saint Isidore Pelusiot († ca. 436-440) emphasizes the idea that “the bishop, in the form of Christ, does His work and shows everyone with his very clothes that he is an imitator of the good and great Shepherd, who took upon Himself the infirmities of the flock.”

The two ends of the chains of the episcopal cross and panagia mark the imitation of the bishop of Christ in pastoral care for the salvation of people - the sheep of the "verbal flock" and in the feat of carrying his cross. The two ends of the chains correspond to the dual nature of the ministry of the archpastor—God and people.

Chains or laces of pectoral crosses of ordinary laymen do not have a back end, since a layman does not have pastoral duties to other people.

In everyday life, bishops wear staves, different from those wands-staves that they use for worship. Bishops' everyday croziers are usually long wooden sticks with a rim and a bulge at the top of carved bone, wood, silver, or other metal. Everyday staves have much more ancient origin than liturgical wands. The liturgical episcopal baton separated from the everyday everyday staff of bishops because, according to canonical rules, bishops and other clergymen are forbidden to adorn themselves with expensive and bright clothes and objects in everyday life. Only during the divine service, where the bishop should show people the image of the glory of the Heavenly King, he dresses in specially decorated robes and headdresses and takes a magnificent staff in his hands.

liturgical robes of a deacon and a priest

The liturgical robes of the clergy have a common name - chasubles and are divided into deacon's, priest's and bishop's robes. The priest has all the diaconal robes and, moreover, those inherent in his rank; the bishop has all the priestly robes and, moreover, those assigned to his episcopal rank.

The liturgical robes of the Orthodox clergy are foreshadowed in the Old Testament by the robes of Aaron and other priests, made by the direct command of God (Exodus 28:2; 31:10) and intended only for priestly service, for the glory and splendor of Divine services. They cannot be worn and used in everyday life. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord commands the Old Testament priests, leaving the temple to the outer courtyard to the people, to take off their liturgical vestments and lay them in the barriers of the saints, putting on other clothes (Ezek. 44, 19). In the Orthodox Church, at the end of the service, the vestments are also removed and remain in the temple.

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the parable of those called to the royal feast, which figuratively tells of the Kingdom of God, speaks of the inadmissibility of entering it without a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-14). The parable depicts a wedding feast on the occasion of the marriage of the king's son. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, marriage, which is often mentioned here and in other similar images in Holy Scripture, is the mysterious marriage of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (the Lamb) with His beloved bride, the Church (Rev. 19:7-8). At the same time, the Apocalypse notes that “it was given to her (the wife of the Lamb) to put on linen clean and bright; but the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”

Thus, the general symbolic meaning of church service vestments is the expression in visible material garments of spiritual garments of righteousness and purity, in which the souls of believers must be clothed in order to participate in the eternal joy of combining Christ with the Church of His chosen ones.

Historically, liturgical vestments did not appear immediately. In general terms, the canon of liturgical vestments took shape in the 6th century. It is known that until that time the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord, the first bishop of Jerusalem, wore a white linen long garment of Jewish priests and a headband. The Apostle John the Theologian also wore a golden headband as a sign of the high priest. Many believe that the phelonion left by the Apostle Paul at Carp in Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) was his liturgical attire. According to legend, the Theotokos made with her own hands an omophorion for Saint Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Christ and later became Bishop of Cyprus. Thus, the apostles already used some liturgical robes. Most likely, a tradition expressed by the blessed Jerome (4th century) has been preserved from them in the Church, according to which it is by no means permissible to enter the altar and perform divine services in common and simply used clothes.

The common attire for all degrees of the priesthood is surplice, or undershirt. This is the most ancient attire in terms of time of origin. The surplice corresponds to the podir of the Old Testament high priests, but acquires a slightly different form and meaning in Christianity.

For deacons and lower clerics, a surplice is an upper liturgical robe with wide sleeves. For priests and bishops, a surplice is an undergarment over which other vestments are put on. Therefore, it has a special name - podraznik.

A surplice is a long garment without a slit in front and behind, with a hole for the head and with wide sleeves. A surplice is also required for subdeacons. The right to wear a surplice can be given to both psalm-readers and laity serving in the temple. The surplice marks the purity of the soul, which the persons of the holy dignity should have.

Priests and bishops is the lower liturgical garment. She is put on a cassock, and other robes are put on her. This vestment has some differences from the surplice. The undershirt is made with narrow sleeves, as they should be worn with handrails. The sleeves of the vest have slits at the ends. A braid or lace is sewn to one of the sides of the incision, so that when dressed with this lace, the lower edge of the undershirt sleeve is tightly pulled together at the wrist. These laces mark the fetters that tied the hands of the Savior, led to judgment. For this reason, there are no stripes on the sleeves of the vest. They are not on the shoulders of the vestment, because his shoulders are covered with outer liturgical clothing (phelonion or sakkos).

Only a cross is sewn on the back of the vest, and on the hem, since it protrudes from under the outer clothing and is visible to everyone, there is the same sewn strip as on the sticharade, with the same symbolic meaning. On the sides of the vestment there are the same cuts as on the surplice. Undershirts are made of light fabric and, in accordance with the considered meaning, should be white. Distinctive feature The episcopal vestry can be the so-called gammata - sources, streams in the form of ribbons hanging in front. They mean both the blood flowing from the sores of Christ, and, according to the blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, the teaching grace of the hierarch, and various gifts given to him from above and through him poured out on everyone. The undershirt is worn only during the service of the Liturgy and on some special occasions.

On the left shoulder, over the surplice, the deacons have orarion- a long strip of brocade or other colored material, descending from the front and back almost to the floor. The orarion is reinforced with a loop on a button on the left shoulder of the surplice, so that its ends hang down freely. Taking the lower front end of the orarion in his right hand, the deacon raises it when pronouncing litanies (petitions), overshadows himself with this end with the sign of the cross, and in the prescribed cases indicates to the priest and bishop the order of liturgical actions. At the Liturgy on "Our Father", preparing himself for the reception of the Holy Mysteries, the deacon girds himself with the orarion along the Persians (on the chest) so that the orarion first crosses the lower part of the chest, across, passes with two ends under the armpits on the back, crosses crosswise on the back , rising to both shoulders, through the shoulders, the ends of the orarion descend to the chest, cross here also crosswise and pass under that part of the orarion that crossed across the lower part of the chest. Thus, the chest and back of the deacon are covered by the orarion crosswise. After communion, the deacon again ungirds the orarion and hangs it on his left shoulder.

Deacon is the first sacred degree. The orarion, which he almost always wears on one left shoulder, means precisely the grace of the holy order, but only of the first degree of priesthood, which gives the deacon the right to be a minister, but not a performer of the sacraments. However, even this grace of the holy diaconal rank is a yoke and a yoke of work for God and people, it is the bearing of the cross. The symbolic expression of these spiritual truths is contained in the deacon's orarion. On the other hand, the orarion reminds the deacon of the need to imitate the angels in their service and life, always ready for the quick fulfillment of the will of God, preserving integrity and purity, remaining in perfect chastity.

Even now, the words of the angelic chant "Holy, Holy, Holy" are sometimes written on the oraries. Most often this inscription is found on the so-called double oraries of protodeacons and archdeacons. This orarion is much wider than the usual, deacon, and has the peculiarity that its middle part passes under the right hand so that one end of the orarion rises through the back to the left shoulder and goes down in front, and the other end passes from under the right hand through the chest up and down the same left shoulder down the back. Such an arrangement of the orarion marks the seniority of protodeacons and archdeacons within the same diaconal rank, which is an image of the seniority of some Angels over others.

On the sleeves of the cassock, and when fully vested - on the sleeves of the cassock, priests and bishops put on handrails, or oversleeves. The deacons put them on the sleeves of the cassock. The handrail is a slightly curved strip of dense material with the image of a cross in the middle, sheathed along the edges with a ribbon of a different shade than the handrail itself. Enclosing the hand in the wrist, the handrail is connected from the inside of the hand with the help of a cord threaded into metal loops on its side edges, and the cord is wrapped around the hand, so that the handrail tightly tightens the sleeve of the cassock or cassock and is firmly held on the hand. In this case, the sign of the cross is on the outside of the hand. The cuffs are worn on both sleeves and signify God's power, strength and wisdom, given to His clergy for the accomplishment of the Divine sacraments. By the sign of the cross, the ensigns mean that it is not the human hands of the clergy, but the Lord Himself who performs the sacraments through them with His Divine power. This meaning of handrails is reflected in the prayers when putting them on to serve the Liturgy. For the right hand it reads: “Thy right hand, Lord, be glorified in the fortress, Your right hand, Lord, crush the enemies and with the multitude of Your glory erased this adversary.” This prayer also contains the idea that the instructions, as a sign of the power of God, protect the clergyman from demonic wiles during the performance of the sacraments. For the left hand it reads: “Thy hands create me and create me, give me understanding and learn your commandment.”

The history of the origin of the handrails is as follows. There were no handrails in the original Church. Since ancient times, the narrow sleeves of the imitation (cassock) and cassock were decorated with a special trim in the form of two or three stripes that covered the edges of the sleeves. At the same time, a cross was sometimes depicted between these stripes. Church authors of antiquity do not find interpretations of this decoration. Handrails first appeared as an item of clothing for Byzantine kings. They decorated and tightened the sleeves of the underwear, protruding from under the wide sleeves of the sakkos - the upper royal vestments. Desiring to honor the patriarchs of their capital throne of Constantinople with special honor, the emperors began to grant them items of royal vestments. Byzantine kings granted the patriarchs wands, the right to depict a double-headed eagle on shoes and carpets. In the 11th-12th centuries, the hierarchs of Constantinople received sakkos and hand-rails from the kings; then the instructions passed to the primates of other Orthodox Churches, to the most prominent eastern metropolitans and bishops. Somewhat later, the orders passed to the priests. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica (12th century), writes about commissions as a necessary accessory for priestly and episcopal vestments. In the 14th-15th centuries, ensigns as a reward first appeared for some archdeacons, and then for all deacons. Ancient handrails were often richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery, pearls, sometimes they depicted a deisis, an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, John the Baptist, sometimes they did not have any images. In the future, the only image on the handrails becomes the cross - a sign of the power of the cross, communicated to the servant of the throne of God. The symbolism of the handrails thus reaches its completion in the 16th-17th centuries. With the advent of handrails on the sleeves of the cassock and cassock, stripes and crosses were no longer sewn on. Assignments, as an object external to the sleeves, clearly showed evidence that the power and wisdom in performing the sacraments and services does not belong to the clergyman himself, but is given to him from outside, from God. This is the dogmatic meaning of the change that has taken place in the symbolism of the sleeves. Blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, attaches to the orders, in addition to the sign of God's power and wisdom, the meaning of the image of the fetters with which the hands of the Savior, led to judgment, were bound. When the cuffs are put on a cassock or undershirt without cords on the sleeves, they really acquire this meaning as well. When they are put on a vestment, the sleeves of which are already pulled together with a cord-the image of the bonds of Christ, only their first meaning remains behind the instructions - the power and wisdom of God, performing the sacraments.

The surplice, orarion and handrails are the vestments of the deacon. Other liturgical robes belong to the robes of the priestly rank.

Starting from the 15th century, the bishop, consecrating a deacon to the priesthood, went around his neck with a deacon's orarion, so that both ends evenly descended down the chest down to the hem, and at the same time connected one with the other. It turned out stole- the garment of priests and bishops. (The word epitrachelion in Greek is masculine, but in Russian books it was used in feminine.) That is exactly what the bishops did starting from the 15th century when they consecrated a deacon to the priesthood. The epitrachelion formed from the orarion meant that the priest, without losing the grace of the diaconal rank, acquires a double, in comparison with the deacon, special grace, giving him the right and duty to be not only a minister, but also a performer of the Sacraments of the Church and the whole work of the priesthood. This is not only a double grace, but also a double yoke, a yoke.

AT later times(approximately from the 16th-17th centuries) epitrachili began to be made not from deacon's orarei, but especially, for ease of wearing. In the part that covers the neck, the stole is curly and narrow, so that this part can comfortably fit the collar of the cassock or cassock. At the consecration of a deacon as a presbyter, the bishop no longer wraps the orarion around the neck of the initiate, but immediately places a ready-made epitrachelion on him. The separation of the stole from the orarion, however, does not abolish the meaning of the stole as an orarion connected in front. Therefore, at present, the stole is sewn in such a way that it consists of two separate strips in front, connected only in a few places where conditional buttons are placed, since there are no loops, the buttons are planted in those places where the stole halves are simply sewn to one another. But the epitrachelion is not sutured along the entire length, with rare exceptions. The diaconal orarion, as a rule, has seven crosses sewn on it to commemorate the fact that the deacon is the minister of all the seven Sacraments of the Church, and the priest performs six Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance, Communion, Marriage, Consecration of the Unction. The Sacrament of the Priesthood has the right to perform only the bishop. When the orarion is bent around the neck, the cross in its middle part is on the back of the neck, and the other six are located opposite each other on both halves of the orarion connected in front. In the same way, the signs of the cross are also sewn onto the epitrachelion, so that in front it has three pairs of crosses on both of its halves, which indicates that the priest performs the six Sacraments of the Church. The seventh sign of the cross, located on the neck of the priest, means that he received his priesthood from the bishop and is subject to him, as well as that he bears the yoke (yoke) of service to Christ, who redeemed the human race by the feat on the cross.

The priest can perform all divine services and rites only in the stole, which is superimposed over the cassock, and when fully vested over the vestment, as always happens during the service of the Liturgy and in some special cases .

phelonion(in everyday life - a riza) is the upper liturgical attire of priests and, in some cases, bishops. In the plural, the word "riza" means all vestments in general, but the singular form implies a phelonion.

This garment is very ancient. The phelonion in ancient times was a cape made of a long rectangular piece of woolen fabric and served to protect against cold and bad weather. It was worn on both shoulders, with the front ends pulled together on the chest, and over one shoulder; sometimes a cutout for the head was made in the middle of this cloak, and a phelonion put on the shoulders covered the whole body of a person with its long ends in front and behind. At the same time, among the Jews, the edges of the phelonion were sometimes decorated with cassocks or omets - a trim made of sewn lace; and along the very edge of this decoration, so-called cracks were sewn - a blue cord with tassels or fringe as a sign of the constant remembrance of the commandments and the Law, which was led by God Himself (Num. 15, 37-40). The phelonion was worn by the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly life. This is confirmed by ancient icons, where the Savior is almost always depicted in a cloak, sometimes worn on both shoulders, and sometimes over one shoulder. Perhaps it is the phelonion-cloak that the Evangelist means when he says that at the Last Supper the Lord, about to wash the feet of the disciples, took off His outer garments. The apostles also wore the phelonion, as evidenced by the Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4:13). Many believe that it was his liturgical garment. In any case, even if the Lord and the apostles used the phelonion only as an ordinary outer garment of those times, in the minds of the Church it acquired a sacred meaning for this very reason and began to be used as a liturgical vestment from the deepest antiquity.

The shape of the phelonion changed. For the convenience of wearing in front of the hem, a larger or smaller semicircular cutout began to be made, that is, the front hem of the phelonion no longer reached the feet. Over time, the upper shoulders of the phelonion began to be made firm and high, so that the rear upper edge of the phelonion in the form of a truncated triangle or trapezoid now began to rise above the shoulders of the clergyman.

On the back, in the upper part of the phelonion under the shoulder strip, just as on the surplice, and for the same reasons, the sign of the cross is placed. And at the bottom of the dorsal part of the phelonion, closer to the hem, an eight-pointed star is sewn on the same line with the cross. The eight-pointed star in the Christian view means the eighth century - the onset of the Kingdom of Heaven, the new earth and the new heaven, since the earthly history of mankind has seven periods - seven centuries. Thus, in two brief symbols - the cross and the eight-pointed star, the beginning and end of the salvation of mankind in Christ Jesus are indicated on the phelonion. These symbols can also mean the Nativity of Christ (a star over Bethlehem) and His feat of the Cross. However, the Star of Bethlehem also contains a sign of the future age, for with the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, “the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” to people. The star and the cross on the phelonion also signify the union in the Orthodox Church of the grace of the priesthood of the Old (star) and New (cross) Testaments.

Containing many lofty spiritual concepts, the phelonion in its general appearance primarily means the radiance of Divine glory and the strength of Divine light, clothing the clergy, the robe of righteousness and spiritual joy. Therefore, in the prayer, when putting on the phelonion, it reads: “Thy priests, O Lord, will be clothed in righteousness, and Thy saints will rejoice with joy always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen" (Ps. 131, 9). The concepts of Divine light, righteousness, joy, as a wealth of spiritual gifts and feelings, make it possible for felons to be not only white. Felonies are made of gold and silver brocade, which especially emphasizes the importance of the radiance of glory, as well as from other primary colors used in worship for vestments. Starting from the 18th century, black phelonions with white stripes are put on during Great Lent, being in this case a sign of rags and sackcloth, in which the Savior was dressed when he was desecrated.

Epitrachelion, handrails and phelonion make up a small priestly vestment, in which all evening and morning services and rites are served, except for the Liturgy. When serving the Liturgy, as well as in certain cases provided for by the Charter, the priest puts on full vestments. The basis of a full vestment is a vestment. On top of it, an epitrachelion, handrails, a belt, a gaiter, a club, a phelonion are put on in succession. At the same time, the legguard and club, being awards to the clergy, may not be available to all priests and are not among the mandatory items of vestments.

Belt, worn over a vest and stole, is a not very wide strip of matter with trim in the form of stripes of a different color or shade along the edges, in the middle it has an sewn sign of the cross. At both ends of the belt there are ribbons with which it is tied at the back, on the lower back.

From ancient times to the present day, a tightly tied belt, as an item of attire for workers and warriors, was used to give the body strength and strength. Hence, and as a symbolic object in religious and secular use, the belt has always meant certain concepts of strength, strength, power, or readiness for service. The psalmist the prophet David says: “The Lord hath reigned, clothed in splendor, the Lord hath clothed himself in strength and girded himself.” Here, as in many other places of Holy Scripture, the Divine power is symbolically indicated by a belt, a girdling. Christ, girded with a long towel and washing the feet of His disciples, gives by this an image of His service to people. And about His service to the faithful in the future age of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks figuratively: “He will gird himself and seat them, and, coming, will begin to serve them” (Luke 12:37). The Apostle Paul admonishes Christians, saying: “Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth” (Eph. 6:14). In these words, the concept of the spiritual strength of truth is connected with the concept of serving God in the spirit of truth.

The gaiter is an oblong rectangular board on a long ribbon - the first award in turn for zealous service to the Church.

Gaiter archimandrites, abbots and priests are awarded. Symbolically, the rectangular shape of the cuisse means the Four Gospels, which is in full agreement with the concept of the spiritual sword, which is the word of God.

In church practice, it is not customary to greet a priest with the words: "Hello."

The priest himself, introducing himself, should say: "Priest (or priest) Vasily Ivanov", "Archpriest Gennady Petrov", "Hegumen Leonid"; but it would be a violation of church etiquette to say: "I am Father Mikhail Sidorov."

In the third person, referring to the priest, they usually say: "The Father Superior blessed", "Father Michael considers ...". But it cuts the ear: "Priest Fyodor advised." Although in a multi-clergy parish, where there may be priests with the same names, to distinguish between them they say: "Archpriest Nikolai is on a business trip, and Priest Nikolai is giving communion." Or in this case, a surname is added to the name: "Father Nikolai Maslov is now at the reception of Vladyka."

The combination "father" and the surname of the priest ("father Kravchenko") is used, but rarely and carries a shade of officiality and detachment. Knowledge of all this is necessary, but sometimes it turns out to be insufficient due to the multi-situational nature of parish life.

Let's consider some situations. What should a layman do if he finds himself in a society where there are several priests? There can be many variations and subtleties here, but general rule is this: they take a blessing first of all from senior priests, that is, first from the archpriests, then from the priests (The question is how to distinguish this, if not all of them are familiar to you. Some clue is given by the cross worn by the priest: a cross with decoration - necessarily an archpriest, gilded - either an archpriest, or a priest, silver - a priest). If you have already taken a blessing from two or three priests, and there are three or four more priests nearby, take a blessing from them too. But if you see that for some reason it is difficult, say: "Bless, honest fathers" and bow. Note that in Orthodoxy it is not customary to deal with the words: "holy father", they say: "honest father" (for example: "Pray for me, honest father").

Another situation: a group of believers in the courtyard of the temple comes under the blessing of the priest. In this case, you should do this: first, men come up (if there are clergymen among those gathered, then they come first) - by seniority, then - women (also by seniority). If a family comes under the blessing, then the husband, wife, and then the children (in order of seniority) come first. If they want to introduce someone to the priest, they say: "Father Peter, this is my wife. Please bless her."

What should you do if you meet a priest on the street, in transport, in a public place (at the mayor's office, in a store, etc.)? Even if he is in civilian clothes, you can approach him and take his blessing, seeing, of course, that this will not interfere with his work. If it is impossible to take the blessing, they confine themselves to a slight bow.

At parting, as at a meeting, the layman again asks for blessings from the priest: "Forgive me, father, and bless."

Rules of conduct when talking with a priest

The attitude of a layman to a priest, as a bearer of the grace received by him in the sacrament of the Priesthood, as a person appointed by the hierarchy to tend a flock of verbal sheep, should be full of reverence and respect. When communicating with a clergyman, it is necessary to ensure that speech, gestures, facial expressions, posture, and gaze are decent. This means that speech should not contain expressive and even more rude words, jargon, which is full of speech in the world. Gestures and facial expressions should be reduced to a minimum (it is known that stingy gestures are a sign of a well-mannered person). In a conversation, you can not touch the priest, familiarize. When communicating, keep a certain distance. Violation of the distance (too close to the interlocutor) is a violation of the norms even of worldly etiquette. The pose should not be cheeky, let alone defiant. It is not customary to sit while the priest is standing; sit down after being asked to sit down. The look, which is usually the least subject to conscious control, should not be intent, studying, ironic. Very often, it is the look - meek, humble, downcast - that immediately speaks of a well-educated person, in our case, a church person.

In general, one should always try to listen to the other, without tiring the interlocutor with his verbosity and talkativeness. In a conversation with a priest, a believer should remember that through a priest, as a minister of the Mysteries of God, the Lord Himself can often speak. That is why parishioners are so attentive to the words of a spiritual mentor.

Needless to say, the laity in their communication with each other is guided by the same; norms of behavior.

How to properly communicate with each other laymen?

Because we are one in Christ, believers call each other "brother" or "sister." These addresses are quite often (although, perhaps, not to the same extent as in the Western branch of Christianity) used in church life. This is how the believers address the whole congregation: "Brothers and sisters." These beautiful words express that deep unity of the believers, which is said in the prayer: "And unite all of us from the one Bread and Chalice of those who partake to each other in the One Holy Spirit Communion." In the broad sense of the word, both the bishop and the priest for the layman are also brothers.

In the church environment, it is not customary even to call older people by their patronymics, they are called only by their first names (that is, the way we approach Communion, to Christ).

When laymen meet, men usually kiss each other on the cheek at the same time as shaking hands, while women do without shaking hands. Ascetic rules impose restrictions on greeting a man and a woman through kissing: it is enough to greet each other with a word and a tilt of the head (even on Easter, reasonableness and sobriety are recommended so as not to bring passion into the Easter kiss).

Relations between believers should be filled with simplicity and sincerity, humble readiness to immediately ask for forgiveness when wrong. The church environment is characterized by small dialogues: "Forgive me, brother (sister)". - "God will forgive, you forgive me." Parting, believers do not say to each other (as is customary in the world): "All the best!", but: "God bless you," "I ask for prayers," "With God," "God's help," "Guardian Angel," etc. .P.

If confusion often arises in the world: how to refuse something without offending the interlocutor, then in the Church this issue is resolved in the simplest and best way: “Sorry, I can’t agree to this, because it’s a sin” or “Sorry, but there is no blessing from my confessor for this." And in this way, tension is quickly relieved; in the world for this would have to make a lot of effort.

How is a priest invited to fulfill the requirements?

Sometimes it is required to invite a priest to fulfill the so-called treb.

If the priest is familiar to you, you can invite him by phone. During a telephone conversation, as well as during a meeting, direct communication, they do not say to the priest: "Hello", but build the beginning of the conversation like this: "Hello, is this Father Nikolai? Bless, father" - and then briefly, concisely state the purpose of the call. They end the conversation with thanksgiving and again: "Bless." Or the priest, or the one behind candle box in the temple you need to find out what needs to be prepared for the arrival of the priest. For example, if a priest is invited to give communion (parting words) to a sick person, it is necessary to prepare the patient, clean up the room, take the dog out of the apartment, have candles, clean clothes, and water. Unction requires candles, pods with cotton wool, oil, wine. During the funeral, candles, permissive prayer, a funeral cross, a veil, an icon are needed. Candles, vegetable oil, holy water are prepared for the consecration of the house. The priest invited for the service is usually painfully impressed by the fact that relatives do not know how to behave with the priest. Even worse, if the TV is not turned off, music plays, a dog barks, half-naked young people walk around.

At the end of the prayers, if the situation allows, the priest can be offered a cup of tea - this is a great opportunity for family members to talk about the spiritual, to resolve some issues.

Hieromonk Aristarkh (Lokhanov)
Trifono-Pechenga Monastery

Before considering how to address the clergy in conversation and in writing, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the hierarchy of priests that exists in Orthodox Church.

The priesthood in Orthodoxy is divided into 3 levels:

- deacon;

- Priest;

- Bishop.

Before stepping into the first step of the priesthood, dedicating himself to the service of God, the believer must decide for himself whether he will marry or accept monasticism. Married clergy are white clergy, and monks are black. In accordance with this, the following structures of the priestly hierarchy are distinguished.

Secular clergy

I. Deacon:

- deacon;

- protodeacon (senior deacon, as a rule, in the cathedral).

II. Priest:

- priest, or priest, or presbyter;

- archpriest (senior priest);

- mitred archpriest and protopresbyter (senior priest in the cathedral).

Black clergy

I. Deacon:

- hierodeacon;

- archdeacon (senior deacon in the monastery).

II. Priest:

- hieromonk;

- abbot;

- archimandrite.

III. Bishop (bishop).

- Bishop

- archbishop

- Metropolitan

- patriarch.

Thus, only a minister belonging to the black clergy can become a bishop. In turn, white clergy also include ministers who, together with the rank of deacon or priest, have taken a vow of celibacy (celibacy).

“I beseech your shepherds... shepherd God’s flock, which is yours, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile self-interest, but out of zeal, and not ruling over God’s heritage, but setting an example for the flock”

(1 Pet. 5:1-2).

Monks-priests can now be seen not only in monasteries, but also in parishes where they serve. If a monk is a schema, that is, he accepted a schema, which is the most a high degree monasticism, the prefix “schie” is added to his rank, for example, schieerodeacon, schieeromonk, schiebishop, etc.

When addressing someone from the clergy, one should adhere to neutral words. You should not use the title "father" without using this name, as it will sound too familiar.

In the church, the clergy should also be addressed with "you".

In close relationships, the address "you" is allowed, but in public it is still better to stick to the address "you", even if it is the wife of a deacon or priest. She can address her husband as “you” only at home or alone, while in the parish such an address can belittle the authority of the minister.

In the church, addressing the clergy, one must call their names as they sound in the Church Slavonic language. For example, one should say “Father Sergius”, and not “Father Sergey”, “Deacon Alexy”, and not “Deacon Alexei”, etc.

When referring to a deacon, you can use the words "father deacon." To find out what his name is, you need to ask: “Excuse me, what is your holy name? However, in this way it is possible to address any Orthodox believer.

When addressing a deacon by his own name, the address "father" must be used. For example, “father Vasily”, etc. In a conversation, when referring to a deacon in the third person, one should call him “father deacon” or a proper name with the address “father”. For example: "Father Andrew said that ..." or "Father deacon advised me ...", etc.

The deacon in the church is approached to ask for advice or ask for prayer. He is an assistant priest. However, the deacon does not have ordination, therefore he does not have the right to independently perform the rites of baptism, weddings, unction, as well as serve the liturgy and confess. Therefore, you should not contact him with a request to carry out such actions. He also cannot perform rites, such as consecrating a house or performing a funeral service. It is believed that he does not have special grace-filled power for this, which the minister receives only during ordination to the priesthood.

When addressing a priest, the word "father" is used. In colloquial speech, it is allowed to call a priest a father, but this should not be done in official speech. The minister himself, when he introduces himself to other people, should say: "Priest Andrei Mitrofanov", or "Priest Nikolai Petrov", "Hegumen Alexander", etc. He will not introduce himself: "I am Father Vasily."

When a priest is mentioned in a conversation and they talk about him in the third person, you can say: “Father rector advised”, “Father Vasily blessed”, etc. He will be called by rank in this case not very melodious. Although, if priests with the same names are present at the parish, in order to distinguish them, a rank corresponding to each of them is placed next to the name. For example: "Hegumen Pavel is now holding a wedding, you can address your request to Hieromonk Pavel." You can also call the priest by his last name: "Father Peter Vasiliev is on a business trip."

The combination of the word “father” and the priest’s surname (for example, “father Ivanov”) sounds too formal, therefore it is very rarely used in colloquial speech.

When meeting, the parishioner must greet the priest with the word “Bless!”, while folding his hands to receive a blessing (if the greeter is next to the priest). Saying “hello” or “good afternoon” to a priest is not customary in church practice. The priest responds to the greeting: "God bless" or "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." At the same time, he overshadows the layman with the sign of the cross, after which he places his right hand on his palms folded to receive the blessing, which the layman must kiss.

The priest can bless the parishioners in other ways, for example, overshadow the bowed head of a layman with the sign of the cross, or bless at a distance.

Male parishioners may also receive the priest's blessing differently. They kiss the hand, cheek, and again the hand of the servant blessing them.

When a priest blesses a layman, the latter must in no case at the same time make the sign of the cross upon himself. This action is called "be baptized into a priest." Such behavior is not very decent.

Asking for and receiving blessings are the main components of church etiquette. These actions are not a pure formality. They testify to the well-established relationship between the priest and the parishioner. If a layman asks for a blessing less often or completely stops asking for it, this is a signal for the minister that the parishioner has some problems in earthly life or a spiritual plan. The same applies to the situation when the priest does not want to bless the layman. Thus, the pastor tries to make it clear to the parishioner that something is happening in the life of the latter that contradicts the Christian life, that the church does not bless him.

“… Younger ones, obey the shepherds; Nevertheless, while submitting to one another, clothe yourself with humility of mind, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

(1 Pet. 5:5-6).

Usually, the refusal of a blessing is painfully tolerated by both the priest and the laity, which suggests that such actions are not purely formal. In this case, both should try to smooth out the tension in the relationship by confessing and asking for forgiveness from each other.

From the day of Pascha and for the next forty days, parishioners should first of all greet the pastor with the words “Christ is Risen”, to which the priest usually answers: “Truly Risen” - and gives his blessing with the usual gesture.

Two priests greet each other with the words "Bless" or "Christ in our midst", to which the answer follows: "And is, and will be." Then they shake hands, kiss on the cheek once or thrice, after which they kiss each other's right hand.

If a parishioner finds himself in the company of several priests at once, he should ask for blessings first from senior priests, and then from younger ones, for example, first from the archpriest, then from the priest. If a layman is not familiar with them, you can distinguish the rank by the cross worn by priests: the archpriest has a cross with decorations or gilded, and the priest has a silver cross, sometimes gilded.

It is customary to take a blessing from all nearby priests. If this is difficult for any reason, you can simply ask: “Bless, honest fathers” - and bow. The address "holy father" in Orthodoxy is not accepted.

"The blessing of the Lord - it enriches and does not bring sorrow with it"

(Prov. 10:22).

If several people come up to the priest for a blessing at once, the men should be the first to apply by seniority, and then the women. If church ministers are present in this group of people, they are the first to ask for blessings.

If a family comes to the priest, the husband comes out first to bless, then the wife, then the children in order of seniority. At this time, you can introduce someone to the priest, for example, a son, and then ask him to bless him. For example: “Father Matthew, this is my son. Please bless him."

When parting, instead of saying goodbye, the layman also asks the priest for blessings, saying: “Forgive me, father, and bless.”

If a layman meets a priest outside the church walls (on the street, in transport, in a store, etc.), he can still ask for a blessing, if at the same time he does not distract the pastor from other things. If it is difficult to take a blessing, you just need to bow.

In dealing with a priest, a layman should show respect and respect, since the minister is the bearer of special grace, which he receives during the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood. In addition, the priest is ordained to be the shepherd and mentor of the faithful.

In a conversation with a clergyman, one should observe oneself so that there is nothing indecent in the look, words, gestures, facial expressions, posture. The speech of a layman should not contain rude, abusive, slang words, which are full of the speech of many people in the world. It is also not allowed to address the priest too familiarly.

When talking with a clergyman, you should not touch him. Better to be at a distance not too close. You can not behave cheekily or defiantly. No need to stare or grin in the face of the priest. The look should be meek. It's good to lower your eyes a little while talking.

“Worthy presbyters who lead should be given double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine. For Scripture says: do not load - give a mouth to the threshing ox; and: the laborer is worthy of his reward"

(1 Tim. 5:17-18).

If the priest is standing, the layman should not sit in his presence. When the priest sits down, the layman can sit down only after being asked to sit down.

When talking with a priest, a layman should remember that through a shepherd who participates in the mysteries of God, God Himself can speak, teaching the truth of God and righteousness.

The Apostle Paul called all Christians saints without exception. Does this mean that every Christian, especially if he is kind, decent, moral, can really be called saints?

There are many Christians in the world who believe that yes, you can. At the same time, many of them, without suffering from excessive modesty, even consider saints themselves.

There is a well-known example when a survey conducted in the United States on the subject holiness, showed that twenty-one percent of Americans (most of whom are Protestants) consider themselves saints - that is, one in five Americans believe so. And why not? After all, they go to church, pay taxes, lead a respectable lifestyle, do not kill, do not rob, do not steal, donate to the poor; and Catholics still confess and take communion, participate in works of mercy. What else would seem necessary for holiness?

This opinion is common among the vast majority of Christians around the world, as well as among some Orthodox.

However, life shows that most of these "saints" including those who do good deeds and participate in charity events, in life, as a rule, they are selfish, vain, quick-tempered, jealous, envious, intolerant, vindictive. They tend to condemn, slander, resent, be offended, conflict, take revenge. In other words, such "holy" Christians, while outwardly pious, are in fact no different from all other people who are neither Christians nor saints; have the same vices and shortcomings that are common to all people.

All this means that considering themselves saints, these people in fact not only do not understand the meaning of holiness, but most importantly, they do not understand either the essence of Christianity itself, as the doctrine of salvation, or the meaning of the Christian life, as the path to holiness. They also do not understand that the nature of man since the time of Adam has been damaged, that each of us from birth is prone to different kind sins and passions, which (in order to gain holiness and salvation) can be overcome only by the grace of God, subject to the persistent and lengthy spiritual labors of the Christian himself.

However, how does one understand holiness orthodox doctrine?

Orthodox theology teaches that holiness- this is NOT the lifetime state of a Christian, acquired by baptism and good deeds; holiness is the GOAL of a Christian's spiritual life, the peak to which he should strive all his life, fulfilling the commandments of Christ, in order to gain the Kingdom of Heaven commanded by Christ, salvation. And holiness is also not outward sanctification and outward works, but inner correction of the soul to which a Christian should devote his whole life.

The Lord says: “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11), and also: “Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5).

However, this does not mean that holiness is acquired simply, one has only to want it. In fact, the path to holiness is difficult, and a Christian must devote his whole self to this path.

Holiness- a much higher spiritual state of a person than just morality. This is not just kindness, decency and responsiveness (which may depend on mood); it is purity of heart, selfless all-encompassing love for all people around: good and evil; it is spiritual and moral perfection in the image of the Savior, bequeathed by Christ to the likeness of God. The words of the apostle should be understood not as a state of holiness already existing in every Christian, but as call to holiness, which is given by God to a Christian who lives in the hope of God's help and constantly labors spiritually to correct himself.

Here is how Orthodox professor-theologian A.I. Osipov characterizes holiness:

« holy only that person appears who not only does not violate the moral standards of life, but also has acquired what is called purity of heart, which is the fruit of a correct spiritual life.

Spiritual life consists in the struggle with one's passions, in constant attention to one's thoughts, feelings, desires, mood, in order to purify the mind and heart from everything evil, filthy, contrary to the commandments of Christ.

This life requires a thorough study of the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers, mostly ascetic ones. It is associated with constant prayer, fasting and abstinence of all your feelings of body and soul.(constant prayer, humility and repentance are the main means on this path).

real saint meek and gentle, sincerely affable and friendly to everyone. He is able to see and eradicate the slightest sins and passions in his heart. He has the humblest opinion of himself; it would never occur to him to consider himself a saint. The Jesus Prayer of Repentance constantly resounds in his heart.

Thus, we see that saints becomes far from every Christian, including not every moral Christian. Because external moral behavior does not at all mean inner purity of thoughts and feelings, does not mean the presence of peace in the soul and pure holy love, which are signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person, that is, holiness.

Literature:
Prof. A.I. Osipov. What is holiness?
Prot. A.Tyukov. What is holiness and is it achievable?

For most people, a priest is a person not of this world. They are called by many - "holy father". Some people are very surprised when they find out that the priest went on vacation, is building a dacha, and loves beer. Are priests really holier than ordinary people? Archpriest Boris LEVSHENKO, cleric of the Church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy, head of the Department of Dogmatic Theology at PSTGU, answers:

The word "holy" has several meanings. The first is the allocation for a special religious use or service: prosphora, holy water, holy work. The second meaning is the fight against sin and victory over it, fidelity in one's actions to the moral law, hatred of evil and love only of good. We understand human holiness as closeness to God. Every person is called to such holiness, and not just a priest, but in fact, few achieve it during their lifetime. And even when it is obvious that they achieve, as it was obvious when meeting with Father John (Krestyankin), Father Cyril (Pavlov), we do not call them saints. The Church recognizes people as saints after death, sometimes soon, and sometimes after many centuries.

Nevertheless, there is some truth in the traditional Catholic address "holy father" (although I don't like being addressed that way). The truth is that the priest is really isolated from the people, just as prosphora is isolated from bread, from which particles are taken out on the proskomedia. We consume prosphora after the liturgy or at home on an empty stomach, with prayer and drink holy water. This prosphora remains bread, preserves all of it physical properties but we still call her a saint. So the priest is singled out from the people, because through him God's grace is given to other people. God cares about the salvation of each person and through one of the people sends admonitions, instructions and help to all mankind. But for the one whom He chooses, such an election can also be uncomfortable. For example, the prophet Ezekiel lay on one side for more than a year, bearing the iniquity of the house of Israel. (“You lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it: according to the number of days that you lie on it, you will bear their iniquity.” Ezekiel 4:1). What's so convenient? And the prophet Jonah, in order not to fulfill God's order to save Nineveh, rushed in the opposite direction and almost drowned. So the priesthood is given for the salvation of mankind, but the priest himself remains a man, and for him, as a man, the priesthood can become too high a responsibility, to destroy him. Because it is written in the prophet Jeremiah: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord negligently” (Jer. 48, 10). But this is a matter of personal salvation of a particular person, and the grace of God is given to people through each priest. Of course, that is why he must live and behave in such a way that people look up to him: it is better to pray, to give all of himself to people. In particular, when he is completely uncomfortable, and he is called for a request, he must go. And he owes much more - he has a debt of love. But, I repeat, he remains a man even in dignity.

But do people always do what they should? Ideal on earth is unattainable. Therefore, one should not think that every priest is a saint. Whether it is useful to think like this, I don’t know (only God knows about it), but according to the laws of spiritual life, it’s right to think like this: everyone will be saved, but I won’t. This is a general rule for all people. And to single out an estate (even a priestly one) as a saint is worthless - by doing this you, as it were, relieve yourself of responsibility: we, they say, are sinners, and these should be saints. Not "these", but all should be saints - God calls us to this.

Regarding dachas, vacations, and everyday habits: I am not a monk, so I will not talk about monks. They are bound by strict vows, including the renunciation of all property. But a married priest, like any man, must take care of his family. Love for other people at the expense of relatives is no longer love. And in the dacha, the priest's love for his family is expressed - his children, regardless of whether they have money for a ticket or not, during the holidays have the opportunity to live in the fresh air. Like the priest himself - and he also needs this to improve his health. For example, the well-known Moscow priest - the holy righteous Alexy Mechev left for the whole summer to his dacha and returned to Moscow only in the fall. We go on vacation with exactly this wording - to improve our health. But the vacation does not free the priest from prayer - he prays there too, and often serves in local churches.